Lübeck: City guide

There is an intoxicating mix at work in this German city, where centuries-old architecture, musical excellence and fine beers all served to enthral Tim Pozzi

12:01AM BST 28 Jul 2001

Why go now?This former flagship of the Hanseatic League is worth a visit at any time of year but a particular attraction at the moment is the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, which runs until September 2. (Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Jerusalemberg 7, 0049 451 389570, www.shmf.de).

The flight

Ryanair (08701 569569, www.ryanair.com) has two flights a day from London Stansted to Lübeck, except on Saturdays (one flight). Return fares start at £48, including taxes. A bus into the city costs just over £1; a taxi is about £8.

£85 The modern Radisson SAS Senator Hotel, all glass elevators and light-filled foyer, is a cut above the average chain hotel. Its gardens run down to the bank of the canalised River Trave, which encircles most of Lübeck on an egg-shaped island. Radisson SAS Senator Hotel, Willy-Brandt-Allee 6 (0049 451 142 2251)

£63 You would hardly know it from the exterior or the interior, but the centrally located Klassik Altstadt has been standing since the 13th century. First a ship's captain's house, it was then a communal bath house and a blacksmith's before becoming an inn around 1800. Klassik Altstadt Hotel, Fischergrube 52 (0049 451 702980)

£38 With its stone-flagged floors, 18ft-high beamed ceilings, chandeliers and hulking pieces of antique furniture - loaned from Lübeck's museum - eating at the Schabbelhaus feels like dining in another century. The cuisine these days is Italian and the house antipasti, an array of treats including duck, wild mushroom, asparagus, squid and melon, is well worth trying. The Schabbelhaus, Mengstrasse 48 (0049 451 72011)

£28 Stepping into the Schiffergesellschaft is a breathtaking experience. Originally an assembly hall for the seamen of Lübeck, the decor has remained unchanged since the 1500s; today's diners eat from the same oak ship's planks that served as tables 450 years ago. Suspended from the blackened rafters are a dozen huge model ships, 5-6ft long, the oldest of which dates back to 1607. The food is excellent, too. Schiffergesellschaft, Breite Strasse (20049 451 76776)

£22 You can feast on generous portions in the privacy of small, wood-panelled booths in the Ratskeller surrounded by Thomas Mann memorabilia. The Nobel prize-winning author is Lübeck's most famous son, and the house in which he and writer brother Heinrich were born is now a museum - Buddenbrookhaus. Ratskeller, Markt 13 (0049 451 72044) Buddenbrookhaus, Mengstrasse 4 (0049 451 122 4192)

The big night outClassical music concerts, and organ recitals, in particular, - Dietrich Buxtehude was organist in the Marienkirche for 40 years - are big in Lübeck. Before the show, enjoy a Pils lager by the river or a meal alfresco at one of the many restaurants on An der Obertrave, at the junction with Holstenstrasse. The city is very quiet after 10pm, but there are a few cosy bars that open till 1am or 2am. Try Brauberger at Alfstrasse 36, which brews its own beer and serves food. Concert details from the Tourist Office, Breite Strasse 62 (0049 451 122 8106).

The classic sightThe Holstentor, the twin-towered western gate into the city, used to appear on the back of the DM50 note. It looks like a sandcastle turned out from a bucket, and is about as sturdy, owing to the marshy ground on which it was built in the 15th century. It now leans and sags incredibly in almost every direction. The slightly disappointing museum inside is redeemed by a spectacular wooden model - it fills an entire room - of the city as it would have looked around 1650.

The alternative sightThere are 1,240 puppets on display in the Puppet Theatre Museum, many of them impessive works of art. They include smiling clowns and smirking devils, sad-faced hobos, hook-nosed crones, pigs with waggling heads and brigands with droopy moustaches. There are also barrel organs, posters and displays of puppets from China, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and West Africa. Museum für Puppentheater, Kleine Petersgrubbe 4 (0049 451 78626).

£6.30 buys a bottle of Lübecker Rotspon Bordeaux "Reserve" 1998. Lübeck merchants began shipping claret home in barrels in the 17th century. The tradition continues with further ageing, and bottling, taking place in Germany. HF von Melle, Beckergrube 86.

£1-£2 buys a marzipan pig, mouse, duck, dinosaur, squirrel, banana, mobile phone or euro from Cafe Niederegger. There is a museum dedicated to the story of marzipan - there used to be more than 50 manufacturers in Lübeck - at the top of the building. Café Niederegger, Breite Strasse 89.

The walk Starting at the Holstentor, head north across the Holsten Bridge and turn left along the river. Head up Alfstrasse - no 38, the former Merchant's Guildhall, is one of the city's oldest brick buildings. At the end of Alfstrasse is the Marienkirche, dating back to the 13th century, with twin spires some 600ft high. East of the church is the market square. Cross north through one of the arches and continue along Hüxstrasse, a prime shopping street, for a block, turning left on Königstrasse. On the left you will pass Katharinenkirche, with its stupendous woodcarving of St George slaying the dragon, Behnhaus, a museum housing paintings by Max Liebermann and Edvard Munch, and the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital, a hospice from 1260 until the 1970s. Here, on Koberg square, it's time for tea - or Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) if you want to go native.

The guidebook Lonely Planet's Germany (£13.99) and The Rough Guide to Germany (£16.99) both have useful sections on Lübeck.

What's on and whenIn contrast to the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Friendship Party, next Saturday, is Lübeck's answer to the Love Parade in Berlin, with music and dance spanning the pop spectrum. The Harbour Festival (Hafenfestival), from August 30-September 2, celebrates the 600th anniversary of the seaman's guild. The 43rd Nordic Film Festival is on between November 1-4.